Islamophobia takes flight on “O’Reilly Factor”

O’Reilly is “done” being careful. That is what he told viewers during his infamous discussion with Juan Williams. NPR shortly fired Williams for pitching his new movie idea, “Muslims on a Plane,” on the O’Reilly Factor. Williams recounted how he fears Muslims who choose to make their religious beliefs evident in the manner they dress. Please, Muslims, for the sake of Mr. Williams, wear some Abercrombie to set his nerves at ease.

According to O’Reilly, he has cautiously toed the line between propriety and unleashing torrents of bigoted invective. The fact that we “ain’t seen nothing yet” is what really frightens me. The battle lines are drawn. Fox News has not only offered verbal support to O’Reilly and  Williams, but they immediately rewarded Williams with a $2 million contract. Boisterous “tea-baggers” like Sarah Palin and Republicans like Newt Gingrich, Jim DeMint and Mike Huckabee, have made it clear in the past few days that “Muslims on a Plane” would be a project they’d produce.

Conservative columnist Michelle Malkin decried political correctness as being “the handmaiden of terror.” Holy crap. You know someone has gone round the bend when they associate political correctness with terrorism. Blowing up a hall of government is as politically incorrect as you can get. Malkin argues that displaying decorum, tolerance and rationality will only embolden our enemies. Well golly, I never would have thought that Islamic extremists would rally around any of those concepts.

The lines are drawn. It is time to pick a side.

Josh Kornfield is a junior majoring in international studies and political science. He may be contacted at jkornfield@themiamihurricane.com.